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Optical information security
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DOI：10.1038/s42254-026-00980-3.png)
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Abstract
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Advances in quantum computing threaten the cryptographic stack by undermining widely deployed public-key primitives and tightening security margins for symmetric encryption, thus creating a long-term confidentiality risk. Photonics offers a practical mitigation option as light offers multiple, independently addressable degrees of freedom (that is, polarization, phase, orbital angular momentum, wavelength and time) for high-dimensional encoding; propagation and interference realize intrinsic, massively parallel linear operations with faster processing time than electronics; and hardware spans free-space links to energy-efficient integrated chips. This Review assesses optical information security through the confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity (CIA+E) lens across a layered framework, that is, source, channel, encoding/modulation, optical processing, detection, protocol/system and application. We compare classical, quantum and hybrid post-quantum schemes; survey structured light and holographic encryption, high-dimensional multiplexing and photonic physical unclonable function; and examine artificial intelligence-assisted attack and defence. We sketch a pathway towards scalable, robust and energy-efficient secure photonic systems for the post-quantum era. Advances in quantum technology jeopardize current cryptography protocols. This review surveys optical information security across classical, quantum and hybrid schemes, sketching a pathway to secure photonic systems for the post-quantum era.
Journal
IF:
39.5
Papers:
192
Citations:
1.2W
Organization
Cited Papers
ShareSaveShareSaveInformation authentication using photon-counting double-random-phase encrypted images.png)
OPTICS LETTERS
OAAI
OPTICS LETTERSIF3.3
OAAIShareSaveShareSaveAll optical metropolitan quantum key distribution network with post-quantum cryptography authenticationOPTICS EXPRESSOAAI
OPTICS EXPRESSIF3.3
OAAIShareSaveUsing all transverse degrees of freedom in quantum communications based on a generic mode sorterOPTICS EXPRESSOAAI
OPTICS EXPRESSIF3.3
OAAIShareSaveShareSaveShareSave
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